generational marketing
Their view of employment is based on options and fl exibility. If they don’t get what they want from their leaders or their role, they leave. Simple as that. Even in the current recession,
anecdotal data suggests that Gen Y employees are making their feelings clear if a job does not live up to expectations. They might not up and leave quite as readily as they have in the past, but they are being just as vocal about wanting feedback, development and responsibility. And, if their role does not deliver what was promised when they were recruited, you’ll know about it. You’ll know the saying that
‘employees leave managers, not jobs’. In Gen Y’s case it’s particularly true. This brings us to a crucial point:
although there are genuine differences in attitudes, values and preferences between the generations, there are far more similarities. For example, members of every generation appreciate being able
to play to their strengths at work, being trusted and being given responsibility. In other words, we all appreciate good leadership. The difference with Gen Y is that they demand these things. Other generations are conditioned not to expect them and will struggle on regardless, grateful to have a job – a notion particularly pertinent in these credit crunch days. So the message is this: many of the actions that organisations must take to retain and motivate their Gen Y employees will also engage and motivate employees from other generations. However, there are some real
differences between Gen Y and other generations. For example, Gen Y prefers to communicate synchronously
– that is, in real time. Text messages and instant messaging are preferred. Other generations are more used to communication methods that are non- synchronous, ie with a time delay between receipt and reply – initially letters, then
faxes and now email. Because even email does not lead to an instant answer – there’s often a time lag before an email receives a reply. This frustrates Gen Y. See information box opposite (p73)
for further recommendations on managing your Gen Y employees.
MEMBER IMPLICATIONS
So how do we meet the needs of our Gen Y customers, the market we need to convert and bring in as our lifelong members of the future? Communication is key, but it’s not
• •
just a case of good customer service and friendly, knowledgeable, effi cient staff; it’s about embracing and using new media effectively. We’re not talking about investing in new websites or technology here. Gen Y use the stuff that’s out there, available to everyone free of charge. Does your club have a Facebook page, for example? It might without you even knowing about it. Log in and fi nd out – then be part of it. And, if you don’t have a Facebook page, get one set up asap. Why? Because Facebook provides much of what Gen Y relates to and expects: Sharing: The internet generation has
grown up being able to share everything online – music, videos, jokes, anything – so why not training schedules, personal bests, new routines, comments on new equipment, instructors, classes? Dialogue: Forget marketing messages
•
– Gen Y expects to be in a conversation. The success of Twitter demonstrates this. Set up a Twitter feed and use it to tell customers about events, new classes, special offers and other more general news stories from your club. Instant feedback: Voting and rating
online is second nature. Can you use this to get near-instant feedback on new offers and club sessions? All these ideas will work well to
attract and retain Gen Y members, as well as appealing to staff. But don’t fall into the trap mentioned at the beginning of this article of making assumptions and pigeonholing people according to age. Twitter is a fantastic way to keep in touch with your customers, but recent research shows that it’s actually slightly older users, in their 30s, who have particularly embraced this – and,
Baby boomers are used to communicating by calling on land lines and writing letters
42 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital june 2010 © cybertrek 2010
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